Making it through life and Divinity School. Pressing toward the goal.

Menu

Monthly Archives: February 2014

Post navigation

I like these. James Michael Sama The more women I talk to, the more I realize that the gentleman is a rare breed. The mission of the New Chivalry Movement is to bring men (and women) together who strive to be … Continue reading →

DP Talks wrote a great blog post about my favorite movie, Akeelah and the Bee

Akeelah and the Bee is a great movie for a number of reasons. One, it just works. There’s excellent acting by Keke Palmer, Laurence Fishburne, and Angela Bassett but also very strong writing. The script manages to tackle disparities in the American education system, which cannot be addressed without including racial and socioeconomic influences, in a way that’s somehow both subtle and resounding.

11- year-old, Akeelah’s quest to secure the National Spelling Bee Championship is a triumphant journey that draws you into the excitement of … spelling bees? Yes, it’s hard to imagine a movie about a spelling bee as enthralling. But the juxtaposition of Akeelah’s thirst for knowledge with her life circumstances and those circumstances pitted against Akeelah’s privileged counterparts make for a dramatic expose about overcoming the odds.

According to every stereotype and even some pretty convincing statistics, Akeelah shouldn’t even be a contender for graduating…